Writing about something other than my car for once, but something most of you would probably enjoy. And a memory I’d love to document!

So… where do I start?

Late 2023 the talks about going on a trip to Japan came up with my cousins, a place I (and most car enthusiasts) would love to visit. It didn’t seem too serious initially, but after a decent amount of discussion, plans actually began to come together. With the dates being set from late February to the beginning of March 2024. And yeah, we went, had a great trip, and came back!

That’s it, thanks for reading everyone!

Just kidding!

Here is what actually happened, with some unnecessary details, I’ll try to not be too boring… bear with me.

The trip was technically 14 days long but a full 2 days are lost due to layovers and the obviously long flight. Leaving late on the 21st and arriving almost exactly 24h later on the 22nd in Japan. A long and exhausting trip, forgotten at the first glance of Tokyo’s skyline from the airplane’s window. Once past customs and all the usual travel checkpoints, we were greeted by the cold air in Henda airport’s parking lot, and we met with our van driver who’s taking us to our hotel. Slowly exiting the parking lot to see the streets was very exciting for some reason! I’m sure the driver might have been a bit confused to see us so happy just to look at some random dimly lit back streets. The driver barely spoke any English, as most do Japanese; so a few minutes in I was finally able to build up enough courage to say something to him in Japanese (I study Japanese) I simply asked him “how long till we get to the hotel?” and he answered me “30 minutes”.

The whole van went quiet, and my cousins started staring at me… I did it!!! I shocked a native with my Japanese skills!/s

In all seriousness though, speaking Japanese outside of my comfort zone was quite nerve racking, but it got progressively easier as the trip went on, even though I did have a hard time in a few instances. But that’s enough about my language anxiety and so on.

We arrived at the hotel, got checked in but couldn’t call it a night without getting our first Konbini experience! So we decided to waddle over to the 7/11 closest to the hotel in 3 degree weather just past midnight. The 7/11- as most would guess- was pretty much sold out of most items. I was able to get myself a chicken sandwich and a Boss coffee. Not wanting to give up on our first night we headed across the street to a Lawson, which did have a few more items. But I’m honestly blanking on what I got. Since by the end of the trip we had went to so many Konbinis, That I can’t keep track of what I bought anymore.

Skipping forward to the next morning, we didn’t have any concrete plans, not wanting to waste the first day slowly getting used to the city, I decided to jump in headfirst and use the world renowned Japan rail way system. The route was a simple, 2 trains, 40 minute ride total to the nearest UP Garage from our hotel. That said trip ended up taking us 2 hours! Let’s say we aren’t that used to public transportation and leave it at that. Arriving at the correct station was such a relief, and stepping out to see the view right outside was so beautiful. It was just a small town, quiet yet lively. Cold but felt warm. I had made plans to write this blog in advance which is why I decided to keep my camera on me at all times. To capture moments such as these.

With that we began our 15 min walk from the station to UP Garage, and we encountered our first cool car sighting! And what better car to see other than a completely stock FD Mazda RX7. We all stoped, and kept staring at the poor old man driving for a solid 30 seconds or so. Only for him to drive off as if nothing happened. In the next few minutes as we were walking we saw: A slammed newer BMW M2, a BRZ and a 993 Porsche on a truck bed. All this within the span of 10 minutes. With UP Garage in sight excitement began to rise; Because we knew that warmth was near! Let me tell you, if you ARE NOT used to the cold. DO NOT visit Japan in the winter; It’s cold… and rainy.

We entered UP Garage and were greeted by the staff, and a massive collection of oem and aftermarket wheels on the first floor, with the second floor of this branch being for parts. The store was filled with all kinds of bits and pieces, UP Garage consists mainly of used car parts. And back in the day offering used high quality parts at reasonable prices. With the introduction of their online site “croooober” the amount of bargains have began to decrease. But they do offer a lot of brand new parts as well that can help you finish your car without waiting on shipping from the manufacturer. We took a look around the store and saw a lot of nice parts for different makes and modals. I ended up making my first purchase there for my car: A set of Work RS lug nuts.

The employees were very nice and after spending some time looking around and resting for a bit, we made our way back to the station so we can head to Ginza where we would be spending the rest of the day with family.

Early next morning we got a cab and made our way down to Yokohama, to visit a very special shop. Auto Garage TBK, for anyone who is familiar with tuning culture from the early 2000s this name should be very recognizable. They were one of best tuning shops back then and were famous for building some serious top speed focused machines. The owner Takahashi-San was also a member of the infamous Mid-Night Club that used to run the wangan in the late 90s/2000s.

The staff were very welcoming and I was able to chat a bit with Takahashi-San and Awata-San with my limited Japanese, and got a tour around the shop.

With the most important piece there being Takahashi-San’s personal 964 that achieved a top speed of 305km/h!

After we were done taking up time from Takahashi-San and Awata-San’s busy schedule, we wanted to make our way down to the Nismo Omori Factory not too far from TBK. But due to the area being mostly quiet suburban homes we couldn’t find a taxi to take us down to the port, which would’ve been a 10-15min drive. So walking was the only option we had. And reflecting back on it now I’m glad we got to do that, as simply walking the streets of Japan is quite the experience.

After an enjoyable 40min walk in nice weather, we finally reached the port and could see the factory from a distance, the showroom/museum is located in the same place as the workshop where they now restore Skylines to their original specification as part of the Nismo Heritage Program. Walking in we were greeted with many of Nissan’s most well known race cars. And a view into the shop with some pristine examples of how a Skyline should be built.

I picked up a few small pieces for my car, since there aren’t many s chassis parts still being produced by Nismo, but at least it’s something to remember the trip by.

And with that we were done with our car related activities for the day.

The following day we made our way back to Yokohama in the rain to visit MOON Cafe by Mooneyes, which for those who don’t know is an American Hotrod brand from the 50s that is now owned by a Japanese man. Mooneyes has had huge influence on both the Japanese and American custom car culture since the 50s.

The cafe is themed after an American diner, with a store and garage right next to it. Serving classic American meals, and a great atmosphere.

Highly recommend visiting for a fun afternoon and good food, the staff were very nice, and you can pick up some cool clothing/parts from the store.

After that we headed to one of the largest Up Garages in Tokyo, this one was a lot more crowded since it was weekend, and the parking lot was full of cool/unique cars.

In that parking lot is where I saw the first 180sx during my trip, an early 90s period correct Chuki on some Advan Onis and Longchamps, and the classic B wave rear spoiler. More on that car in a bit!

After a solid 10mins or so of walking around the parking lot taking pics, we made our way inside to the three stories Up Garage, the first floor is all the usual performance upgrades for cars and accessories, second floor is mostly motorcycles parts, and third floor being aero or big car parts with a small wheel collection.

With the most of the wheels being displayed in a different building right next to the main one.

I picked out a few parts from the shelfs that I needed for my car back home, and headed to the checkout, before coming on the trip I made a small list of parts that I wanted to get while in Japan, consisting mostly of small parts that would be easy to carry and would save me a bit of money on shipping and could bring with me on the way back. I asked the clerk at the cashier if they had one of the parts I was looking for (a bride seat rail) and he asked what car it was for. I answered that it was for a 180sx and he was exited to hear that. And asked to see a photo of my car, he then told me that he owned one as well! Turns out he is the owner of the white 180 right outside!

We exchanged instagrams handles and then left, it was a very wholesome coincidence!

With that we wrapped our car activities for the day, with most evenings being spent with family, visiting touristy attractions and restaurant dinners.

For me personally, the next day would easily be the highlight of my trip, and the day I was most excited for ahead of time. Probably the only day I had made some sort of plan for. I had booked myself a ticket on the Tohoku Shinkansen to Sendai and back same day, to visit one particular shop, ran by one of the very first D1 drivers… Akinori Ito of team Braek. Ito-San is a well known D1 driver that was very influential in the early 2000s with his tuning style, and played a big rule in making the now popular factory 180 Kouki (late period) aero with big wheels and low ride hight a thing. In 1996 when Nissan first came out with the redesign for the 180sx not too many people were fans of the new aggressive lines. But after he made the switch on his red 180, it started a trend among 180 owners to facelift their early model cars to Kouki aero, lowering them, and adding 17/18 inch wheels. later that style became known amongst enthusiasts as Tohoku specification, due to Ito-San, and a few of the other D1 drivers that ran with a similar look being from that area. And it’s a style that I’m absolutely enamored with!

The shop that Ito-San now runs is called “Secret Base Motor Works” and a few months before the trip I stumbled on their Instagram account and sent a massage inquiring about their shop T-shirts (shop t-shirts slap) and after a few messages back and forth with Ito-San’s assistant, they invited me to visit the shop if I’m ever in Japan. So as soon as I planed the trip I knew had to go to Sendai to visit one of my all time heroes! I messaged them back before my trip and Ito-San’s assistant Sakuma-San was more than welcoming. We made plans for us to meet at Sendai’s train station and he would pick me up and give me a tour around his and Ito-San’s hometown and a tour of the Secret Base workshop. I was so excited the night before I barely got any sleep, and woke up extra early in the morning to make sure I don’t miss my train. It was a one and a half hour ride from Tokyo to Sendai on the Shinkansen. And on the way I got to see some quiet beautiful scenery.

I was telling Ito-San and Sakuma-San this and they were surprised, but when I arrived to Sendai and stepped outside the station, I saw real snow for the first time ever in my life! I’ve traveled abroad before but usually it’s in the summer so this was a funny first for me during this trip. Other than that seeing the city and how different it is from Tokyo was something else. Sendai is beautiful and unique in its own way and I’d love to visit it again for a longer duration.

I met up with Sakuma-San and hoped in his sick Nismo van! we began chatting right away about our love for the niche style that emerged during the early drifting scene. And since Sakuma-San used to live in the USA for around ten years we had absolutely no issue communicating, since my Japanese is barely good enough to ask directions…

After a 15 min drive we arrived at the shop, where we were greeted by Ito-San in his office with a few warm cans of coffee, I came in and Sakuma-San introduced us, we shook hands and then sat down to chat for a bit. Sakuma-San had already informed Ito-San about my visit and where I’d come from. He even showed him this blog! So we began chatting about how I came to find out about Japanese car culture and how it differs from our’s. I had so many questions about his cars and he told me many stories about all the Shenanigans that used to happen back in the day.

After talking for a bit Ito-San pulled out his magazine collection with issues that had him featured, one of them being the 2000 Drift Tengoku October issue. The same one I had brought with me to ask him to sign.

He then told me the story of how he was able to get on the cover of that issue even though his car wasn’t a big part of that month’s issue.

One of the big stories of that month was a 180sx drift meet in Hokkaido that the Dori Ten team covered, Ito-San had planned to reveal his car’s new look at that event and was working day and night before hand to finish it in time, in fact him and all his friends were working all night the morning before they had to leave to catch the ferry to Hokkaido and had finished it just in time. The car there got the attention of everyone, as it had a completely different look, stance, and presence compared to any other 180sx. Running GTR sized TE37 on the front and back was unheard of back then. Especially at such a low ride hight!

The car got so much attention that it got the cover of the issue, with a feature coming only a few issues later.

After talking for around three hours with the help of Sakuma-San translating between me and Ito-San, they then gave me a tour of the shop and office, I wanted to document all that so I pulled out my camera and started shooting!

Ito-San’s current car fleet consists of: a ZN6 Toyota 86, which is the demo car for Secret Base, as it’s a very popular enthusiast platform, that’s affordable, and has lots of potential (just like 180s back in the day). It’s his main focus for the time being, developing parts and setting them up for customers. He also has a 350z for seat time. And two 180s. The one outside is an original Kouki with an automatic transmission, used mostly as a beater/daily with no real plans to modify it so far, the other one is tucked inside the shop in corner, that one is none other than Ito-San’s original 180sx we all know and love, it obviously looks very different to the 2000 look that took Japan by storm, as Ito-San progressed in his D1 career so did his car. The 180 is currently powered by a single turbo 2JZ engine, mated to a sequential transmission. Equipped with a Wisteria Widebody kit from his sponsor. Plan is to get the car sorted for the 2025 D1 season where Ito-San will be going back competing in it! Hearing that made me so happy. And I’ll make sure to watch and support Ito-San’s return to D1GP.

My meeting with Ito-San had came to an end after the tour, I greatly appreciate him taking time out of his busy schedule to chat and reminisce about the past with some random dude from the other side of the world lol. And Sakuma-San had planned a few more things for me to see/do before my return to Tokyo. With that we exchanged Goodbyes and a headed out in the Nismo van to our next destination. It was in the middle of the afternoon so Sakuma-San suggested we go have lunch, he took me to his go to Ramen place in town. Which was really good, Ito-San had agreed with Sakuma-San to pay for our meal beforehand, so huge thank you to Ito-San for the meal!

The Ramen restaurant was located next to a sports car dealership that works with Ito-San for maintenance and custom work, here are a few of the cars they had on display outside.

Next on the agenda was a visit to the local hobby store, one of Sakuma-San’s favorite spots in town, hobby stores are a huge thing in Japan, they cater to a few different niche hobbies all in one place, from RC cars to collectible models/cards and BB guns. They have it all! I had to get a few dicast models as gifts for friends back home, and a few for myself. They had a few models on display and right next to the store was a big indoor 1/10 scale RC drift track! Simple to say the Japanese take their hobbies very seriously!

With time starting to run out we made our way to the last stop of the tour, we parked at a 7/11 Konbini to grab a snack, but the place Sakuma-San wanted to show me was what’s right next to the 7/11, it was the Sendai branch of the famous Grand Slam tuning shop, they used to be involved in some of the early 326power drift builds but are mostly building time attack cars nowadays, the shop was closed on that particular day unfortunately, I did however get a chance to see all the cool cars parked out side the shop, which were awesome to say the least.

As my train departure approached, Sakuma-San dropped me off at Sendai Station where we said goodbyes, I am so appreciative of his hospitality and kindness, giving me an opportunity I didn’t think I could have, and a memory I would not forget, he also managed to capture the moments I couldn’t myself, something I’m very grateful for as these are photos I’ll share and cherish forever.

We are only half way into this trip and this post as already super long, so I’m diving the trip blog into two parts. Both parts will be out at the same time though so the second is already out by the time you’re reading this one.

To end this first post I’d like to thank everyone that welcomed us and gave us their time of day, to just talk about these machines we love so much. But a bigger thank you goes to my two cousins, that I dragged with me everywhere I went, in the cold and rainy weather, everyday for those two weeks. It meant the world to me and I’m glad to have had you by my side.

Part 2 is briefer than part 1, I just had to include all the best stuff in here, with the best for last of course!

Part 2 link: https://malekzain13.com/2024/04/16/japan-in-pursuit-of-passion-part-2/

-Malek